


Dead Bite

by Idols



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crime AU, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eren Is a Little Shit, Fluff and Angst, Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager - Freeform, Levi Makes References At Inappropriate Times, M/M, POV Eren Yeager, Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Slow Burn, Will add more tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-10 14:57:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15293973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idols/pseuds/Idols
Summary: I used to be your average kid. I had friends, the best in the entire world. I used to smile often and play sports, soccer and baseball to be exact, I was excellent at it too. That all changed when the murders started.





	1. When it All Began

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first fan fiction on this site so I’m really excited to see how it turns out! The story won’t always be in first person POV. The first two chapters will basically be Eren explaining what’s happened to him and the story will officially take off in chapter three or four. Without any further ado I hope you enjoy reading the story!

   I used to be your average kid, I had friends who were the most extraordinary people in the entire world. I used to play sports, I was excellent at them too. I’d smile all the time and be genuinely happy often. But that all changed when the murders began.

     I was eight when it all started. It was June and my team, the Corps had won against the Titans who wiped the floor with us last year. That day I swore through tears and sniffles that I’d take them down with everything I had the next time we faced them which we did. Pride welled inside me at the knowledge that I had scored the winning point past their goalie.

     Apparently my parents were proud of me too, especially my dad. My mother wasn’t at the game due to her having to work. She worked nights at a diner a ways away from our town so my father decided that I had deserved ice cream after all my hard work. If I could go back in time I never would’ve gotten in that car with him. 

     At that time though I was incredibly naive and would never pass the opportunity to get ice cream. I hopped right into his car practically vibrating in excitement.  

       It was when we passed the ice cream store that I had begun to grow confused. Staring up at my dad I realized that he wore an impassive facial expression. I was sitting in the front seat because he told me the store was closing soon and that we’d have to drive quickly in order to get their in time. 

    Thinking nothing of it I figured he just missed the parking lot by mistake except when I brought up the fact that we passed it he snapped at me.

     “Jesus Christ Eren do you ever shut up?!”

      When you’re young that’s not really something you want your dad to say to you. Anyway, I turned to stare out the window in order to will my tears away, he had never  _ever_ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~used that tone with me before. I had heard him use it on other people though, he told me it was his Doctor voice, stern and demanded intention leaving no room for an argument.

    Obviously I thought I had done something wrong, I mean who wouldn’t?! I was just trying to let him know he missed the store and he snapped at me. At that time I believed that he didn’t love me anymore with the way he treated me after that, I suppose he didn’t. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t have either, after all it was my fault. 

    I wanted to scream, to ask what I had done wrong and why he didn’t love me anymore but the only thing I did was whimper. He ignored me though and continued to drive as if he didn’t just scare his child by having an outburst.

    Yeah, real father of the year.

     He drove all the way out of town. I wanted to ask where we were headed, but decided to keep my mouth shut in fear that he would shout at me again. It’s not like he would’ve answered me anyway, he was focused on getting the hell out of there like he was driving away from something or some _one._

      We had to have been on the road for hours until we finally checked in to the Dominik Motel. As soon as we got out of the car my father calm and collectively told me that the two of us were going on a vacation without mommy and that I’d be missing school for awhile.

       If I hadn’t felt like I had been stomped on I would’ve been excited. He checked in with the lady at the front desk and we found our room, room 214 to be exact. I wanted to ask him why we didn’t have anything packed with us, but I was determined to find ways that would make my dad love me again.

   The first plan that I had thought about in the car was to go completely mute so that I’d never annoy him with my constant rambles. It sounded foolproof in my head.

   When we got into our room I sat myself on one of the dingy beds that smelt heavily of   rhododendron. Back then I was obsessed with flowers. Mom and I would plant them together in her garden every Sunday, it was a tradition. 

      While I laid down on the bed and hid my face in the pillow I heard water running from the bathroom. Assuming he was going to take a shower I lounged on this less than comfortable bed until his phone rang.

       Curiousity scorched through my veins only to realize it was Mom who was calling. Excited to see my mom’s name I answered the phone, maybe she could help me make dad love me again! It was the perfect plan to me, of course Mom could help! 

    Except when I answered the phone I wasn’t met with the same level of enthusiasm I had been expecting. Her voice was sweet, sickenly so. It was as if she had swallowed honey that had turned sour on the way down her throat. She asked me where I was. I told her that dad said the two of us were going on vacation without her and that she couldn’t come because it was going to be the two of us. 

     At that time I didn’t understand what was happening but all I knew was that I couldn’t make dad angry again. I had to show him that I was a good son. Well when you’re young you can be incredibly gullible.

        “Really, your father said that I couldn’t go?” I nodded into the phone until I realized she couldn’t see the gesture. 

       “Uh-huh he said it was just going to be the two of us and that I wouldn’t be in school for a while. He’s mad right now too so if you show up he’ll get even madder.” She hummed on the other side of the phone.

        “Is that so?” She asked, it almost sounded like she was amused. She had to be, here I was scared of her showing up at the hotel because I was afraid my dad would get even more agitated towards me.

        “Yes it is so.” I stated matter of factly with my chin titled. I felt like an adult at that moment, telling my mother no was liberating for me even at my young age. 

        “Well dad wanted me to come with you guys but he thinks I have work, I wanted to show up and surprise him. I’m sure he’d be very proud of you if he found out you talked to me all by yourself on the phone and remembered where the two of you are staying.” I gasped and surged with excitement, if Mom showed up to surprise him and he found out I was the one who helped there’d be no way that he wouldn’t immediately love me again. So I told her everything I knew.

      “Oh! Well in that case, I didn’t see where we are, but we’re staying in the Dominik Motel in room 214!” I squealed, my mother chuckled on the end of the line and no doubt would’ve ruffled my hair if she had been with me. 

      I wanted to talk to her more, but the phone was yanked out of my hands and thrown unceremoniously on the other bed. I had been so wrapped up in the conversation that I hadn’t heard my dad walking into the bedroom. He was pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation which bewildered me. Had I done something wrong again? I wanted to fling myself onto the bed I didn’t even know what I had done the first time much less this time.

     “Hey, dad Mom is coming to surprise you isn’t that great? She got work off!” Much to my dismay that only worsened his mood. He glared down at me as if I had just murdered a puppy and kicked it when I walked past. The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop while tension wafted in the air. 

        “You. Did. What?” His voice was calm which made the experience that much more unnerving. Something snapped within him. 

          The next thing I knew he had lifted me by the armpits and was leading me somewhere. He shook me, shouting in my face till his held the appearance of a tomato. He then forced my head under the water. My back hit the tub with enough force that the breath left my lungs which caused me to inhale the water I was under. My lungs and eyes burned at the intrusion. I thrashed in my father’s grip, my back aches and my entire body yearned for air. 

        Tears fell from his eyes like the water that was sloshing out of the tub. He was yelling something, but I couldn’t hear him. I was beginning to accept defeat. My eyes closed and I stopped thrashing. I thought that would be the end of me. Sometimes I wish it was, it would’ve been easier if I died there. However life doesn’t always work out in our favor. 

      You see before I was able to fully die red surrounded me. That’s all I could manage to see, but then I was able to make out hands pulling me out from the water. I sputtered and coughed into my savior’s chest unable to hold back sobs of relief. It was my mother I’d be okay now. She cooed at me and muttered into my hair. It was my mother who had saved me or at least I thought she did. 

  Little did I know it was just the opposite. 

 

         


	2. My Savior is a Certified Reference Maker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren has a difficult time adjusting to his new life and meets a stranger who happens to like movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I said that the third chapter would be when the story sets off, but I still have to write how Eren and Armin meet as well as the main conflict which will be explained the next chapter.
> 
> I’m going to try and type it up tonight and post it so we shall see how that goes, also I apologize in advance for it. 
> 
> But without any further ado I hope you enjoy reading!

The two years that followed the incident with my father weren’t easy. Every time I even laid my eyes on water I would have a panic attack.

My mother did everything she could to care for me. She would always smile and would never hesitate to cradle me in her arms whenever I had a nightmare. She even payed for me to go to a therapist to talk about my fear in hopes that it would help me. But the weight of the burden was too much for her to carry all on her own.

I still remember that day. It was Friday, she and I had plans to visit a flower shop out of our town so that we could plant new flowers together like we did before the incident. That’s when the school’s counselor brought me into her room. Her lips were tightly pursed into a grim line.

“Honey, I don’t know how to tell you this, but your mother has passed away.” She clutched my hand in a way to attempt to soothe me, but it didn’t help. 

I got up, shrugging my hand out from under hers I left the room and ran. I didn’t want to believe it, any of it. My mother couldn’t be dead!

I saw her, she smiled at me like she always did, saw me off to school and told me she loved me. She couldn’t have died. This had to have been a bad dream, yeah that’s it. 

Any minute now I’d arrive at my house and shed be standing on the porch waving for me to come inside like she always had. 

That thought however vanished as soon as I laid eyes on our house. Red and blue painted it now and was framed with caution tape. Several officers were already at the scene. I refused to believe it. 

“Mom!” I shouted plowing through all of the people, throwing the caution tape to the wind. I kept shouting her name over and over until an officer forcefully pulled me away from the scene. He kept asking me questions, but I didn’t have the energy to answer him. My mother died and it was all my fault.

The funeral was a quiet affair. Several people arrived to pay their respects to her. I didn’t recognize half the people there at all, but it didn’t matter to me. I stayed at the back of the church alone. I didn’t want to socialize or here another person tell me they were sorry for their loss. Sorry wasn’t going to make everything okay again, sorry wasn’t going to make my mother come back. Sorry owned me nothing so why should I owe it everything? 

“Hey, you’re Eren right?” The man knelt down in front of me. He was wearing an expensive suit and spoke to me like he was approaching a wounded animal.

I didn’t meet his eyes, I just kept staring at my hands that had become the most interesting things to me. I barely managed to nod. 

“Well I’m from the foster care system and I’m here to take you to your foster parents. People told you about this right?” By people he meant the guidance counselor leaning over her desk sobbing.

Not exactly the best way to tell a child that they were going to be in a new house with a new family. She described it as something positive, that I would have a “fresh start”. I have never wanted to punch somebody more than in that moment. “Fresh start”? I was the bastard son of a broken home with nobody wanting to take me in unless they got paid to take care of me. But I had to jump for joy the moment they took me away from my home and into the city. 

Except leaving wasn’t all horrible. It was at the city that I met Armin and Mikasa. Those two were the first and last friends I ever had. Mikasa’s parents had agreed to take care of me and raise me as their own child.

At first she didn’t want anything to do with me, but one night we were allowed to go to the park across the street from us. There we laughed and enjoyed the playground until it got dark. That’s when the men arrived. 

There were five of them, all dressed in black. They radiated a sort of vibe that screamed run. When they arrived Mikasa and I hadn’t seen them at first. We were swinging, too caught up in the wind against our faces to sense them until one of them, the leader I assume spoke.

“Well what do we have here?” Mikasa and I both ceased to swing and laugh upon hearing his voice. It was like it was gravel, rough to the ears. 

In that moment it dawned on me just how dark our surroundings were. The men came closer to us, nearly surrounding us. I brought my arm up to shield Mikasa who was no doubt shaking. 

The man seemed oddly amused by my actions although I couldn’t see his face clearly under the dimly lit street lamp that rested a couple inches away from us, I could practically tell that the bastard was smirking.

“It’s a little dark for kids like you to be out here so late. Why it’s probably past your bed time.” This got the others to chuckle. I ground my teeth together and with my most menacing glare aimed at the man standing closer to us I spat,

“Fuck you!” I silently hoped that I used that word correctly. The only time I heard it was when my father used to come home from a long day of work frustrated. The word was usually aimed at my mother. 

Judging from the hollow laughs and chuckles I received, I assumed that I had used the word too well. Oh great, now what do I do?

“Mikasa,” I whispered while the men were too busy dying over the fact that a ten year old had cursed at them. She stared at me with stormy gray eyes filled with terror listening intently. “When I say the word I want you to run as fast as you can home and have your dad call the police, alright?” She nodded. 

“Damn kid, do you even know the meaning of that word?” The man in front asked wiping stray tears from his eyes. I continued to glare daggers straight through the man.

“I know enough,” I growled. That’s when he lunged at me. Quickly I dodged and shouted for Mikasa to run. That’s the thing about her, she could run incredibly fast when she wanted to if my losing streak against her was anything to go by. 

Unfortunately I couldn’t say the same about me, you see I was and undoubtedly still am an idiot. Instead of taking the smart route and running while I still had the chance I picked up a tree branch and swung it directly into the man’s face. Not my best decision, but hey at least it deterred him from going after Mikasa. 

He stumbled for a minute holding his face in pain before he truly glared at me with all the hate in the world. At first I wasn’t able to clearly see his face, but now we were standing directly under the street light. He had welts going all the way from his right temple to his left jaw bone from the branch. Red was spilling down his face like a river, his eyes shrieked bloody murder. 

“You bitch!” He shouted, I was on the ground in an instant. For the life of me I can’t remember how long blues and purples exploded onto my body or if I screamed or not, but I do remember the aftermath. 

I was in the grass under an elm tree a couple of feet away from the swings. To this day I have no idea how I managed to get under there, but I assume it had to do with the person who grabbed onto my shoulders and shook me none too gently. 

Groaning in pain, I cracked one of my eyes open that wasn’t swollen shut to gaze at my supposed savior. The first thing I was met with was a relaxed sigh and blue-gray eyes that were wide in what I believe was either relief or shock I’m not sure. 

“Jesus Christ kid I thought you were dead.” The person’s voice was light if that makes sense. It wasn’t too deep or too high pitched. It was perfectly balanced. 

I wanted to ask him if he saved me or if he pulled me under the tree, but when I tried to speak nothing came out. Silence settled around us it seemed like he wanted to say something. 

As soon as he opened his mouth the sound of sirens coming towards us barked as a warning for the stranger. He began to walk away from the scene. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask him which is the reason why I called out to him I guess. 

“Wait! What happened? What’s your name?” He stopped in his tracks. For a second I thought I had asked all the wrong questions and was about to back track, but then he turned to me with what I could tell was a smile.

“They call me Mister Tibbs!” With that he turned on his heel and disappeared into the dark of the night. 

Needless to say that once the police officially arrived he had to be miles away from there. Luckily, they were able to treat me on the scene due to the fact that I only had bruises, cuts, and a black eye. 

The police believed that the man had punched me which caused me to black out then he dragged me to the tree which is where I got the scratches from. The man was about to finish the job when the sirens were heard so he booked it. It sounded believable when they said it like that. They asked me if I remembered anything else. I wanted to tell them about the person who saved me but all I could ask was,

“Who’s Mister Tibbs?”


	3. Armin

I was thirteen when I first met Armin. 

I remember Mikasa and I going to collect firewood in the morning when I let it slip that I wanted to join the Wings of Freedom, a special task force that deals with murderers, mafias and gangs. I had told her I wanted to help people who had died find peace and take the scum that injure innocent people. That didn’t go over too well. 

She was livid. The entire trip back she had stern talked me and told her parents the moment we stepped foot in the house. Mrs. Ackerman drew a hand to her mouth and sat down while Mr.Ackerman sent me a look that could’ve killed me. 

“Eren you’re not going to risk your life like that.” Her voice was soft, ever since the incident at the playground it was like I was on house arrest. 

“You’re far too young, son. You’ll find something else you want to do like being a doctor.” His tome left no room to argue, but I slammed my hands on the table giving Mikasa the fiercest glare I could muster.

“So?! Who cares about my age?! Everyday somebody is dying and their family isn’t getting the Justice they deserve! People need closure. I want to join so that I can put those people to rest. Don’t you think that’s a damn good cause?” Panting I looked at Mr.Ackerman expectantly with clenched fists. His whole body was tense like he was one second away from giving me a cuff to the head. Instead he refrained entire body shaking.

“Get out and come back when you learn to be rational.”

I never left the house faster. I ran with all my might. How could they just sit there and tell me what to be?! It’s not like I’m their kid in the first place. A doctor too? Please that would be the worst mistake ever made. Just because my dad used to be one doesn’t mean I will. 

My legs moved all on there own, sure enough I found myself sitting on a park bench watching the sun set. A couple of minutes after Mikasa sat on the same bench but left space between us.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “you have to understand why I told them though. I care about you and I don’t want you to get hurt like you did three years ago Eren.” 

Rationally I understood, but I was still seething with unbridled anger. Silence passed the time between us. The petty part of myself refused to acknowledge her presence. Realizing that this was going nowhere she stood up from the bench and stood over me so that I was forced to look at her. 

“Come on, the sun is setting we have to leave.” She places a hand on her hip. “Unless you dare to bare the consequences of breaking one of their rules.” She did the ba ba baa sound effect which ultimately caused me to lose it and laugh. That’s the thing about Mikasa I couldn’t stay mad at her for very long. 

I sighed and leaned back on the bench crossing my legs. Pretending to pull sunglasses on my face like in a scene of a movie. 

“I guess I dare.” 

It’s not like I regret my decision either, that sun set was the best one I ever saw. The sun had almost become red while a crown of orange embroidered it with a heavenly glow. Above the orange, purple swam in a sea of blue sky with pink coloring the clouds. The entire scene felt surreal. It was so beautiful, I wish I had a camera to capture that moment. 

My concentration was broken however when a tiny voice spoke out of the blue, “Excuse me,” he said. “Is the seat next to you taken?” His voice was high pitched but sounded soft as if he was scared of me. In later years Armin did in fact confirm that he was terrified of me when we first met. 

That fact never ceases to amuse me. There he was with this fear that I’m going to beat him to the ground. When in reality he was probably even taller than me. Me with wide Bambi eyes, shaggy chocolate brown locks and itty bitty baby hands to match. And he was afraid that I was going to beat him. 

I have never laughed so hard in my goddamn life when he confessed. We were on that same bench too. I remember tossing my head back cackling while he kept hitting my chest telling me to stop and that it wasn’t funny. He was right, it was hilarious. That was the best damn thing I’ve ever heard. It was only when he pouted did I actually wipe the tears from my eyes and offer to buy the two of us dinner did he finally forgive me. 

Needless to say I let him sit next to me. We talked until it was completely dark out. As soon as I got back to Mikasa’s house I was stern talked, yelled at, and ignored. It was like I had murdered an entire puppy family with the way they treated me for weeks on end. It was warranted though, I hadn’t gotten back until early in the morning due to the fact that I hung out at Armin’s house. They were just seconds away from calling the police when I returned.

Of course I felt guilty that I caused them so much trouble, but if I could go back and change anything I wouldn’t. Armin, Mikasa and I have been best friends ever since. Well we were friends ever since until the accident happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep it ended with a cliffhanger, but don’t worry I’m working on the next chapter now Summer reading is a force but I finished it so expect more frequent updates.   
>  Thank you for leaving kudos and for reading this story so far I promise in the next chapters will become more interesting :)


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